The invention concerns a conveyor belt or a conveyor belt segment of an elastomeric material with a reinforcement layer of steel ropes arranged so as to be oriented in longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt, wherein each conveyor belt end or conveyor belt segment end comprises a transverse lock bar in which the ends of the steel ropes are locked frictionally or with form fit. The invention also concerns an agricultural harvester for harvesting field crops or suchlike harvested crop with at least one device for processing and/or conveying the field crops. Such conveyor belts and their use are known from various applications.
WO 2012/038155 A1 discloses a conveyor belt or conveyor belt segment in which a reinforcement layer of steel ropes arranged in longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt and aligned parallel to each other provide for a sufficiently high tensile force that can be transmitted by such conveyor belts. On the top side or bottom side, the reinforcement layer is covered by cover layers of an elastomeric material. For connecting the two ends of the conveyor belt or the ends of at least two conveyor belt segments, the publication proposes hinge plates which are provided with appropriate longitudinal bores for receiving the steel ropes. For fixation of the steel ropes in the longitudinal bores of the hinge plates, compression of the hinge plates is provided. Due to the compressive connections in the hinge plates for attachment of the wire ropes with the hinge plates, a limited flexibility of the conveyor belt results, in particular for deflection at guide and idler pulleys with small diameters.
Moreover, DE 10 2004 023 704 A1 discloses an agricultural harvester in the form of a round bale press for collecting and pressing agricultural harvested crop in which a bale forming device is formed of two drive belts with pressing rods arranged therebetween. Based on the knowledge that the drive belts in question are endless belts, in practice a plurality of different belt lengths for different bale sizes are required which must be stockpiled, respectively.
Object of the invention is therefore to provide a conveyor belt of conveyor belt segments which can be produced and assembled in a simple and inexpensive way, provides an optimal flexibility at the same time, and therefore simplifies the use in agricultural harvesters.